Kimmel Piles Up Five Points to Lift Bayhawks Over Rattlers, 13-7

ANNAPOLIS, MD–Midfielder Michael Kimmel accumulated five points with a goal and four assists to lead the Chesapeake Bayhawks to a convincing 13-7 road victory over the Rochester Rattlers a Sahlen’s Stadium.

Attackman Danny Glading totaled four points on two goals and two assists for Chesapeake, which improved its record to 8-2 and remained in first place atop the Major League Lacrosse standings. Adam Rand captured 15 of 22 face-offs while goalkeeper Kip Turner stopped 11 shots for the Bayhawks, who are halfway through a four-game road trip.

“Any time you can win on the road in this league it’s a positive. This is a very nice win for us,” said Chesapeake head coach Dave Cottle, whose squad was coming off an upset at the hands of expansion Charlotte. “Our team showed it could recover from a tough loss and move on.”

Attackman Drew Westervelt and midfielder Matt Abbott scored two goals apiece for Chesapeake, which gained a measure of revenge on Rochester. The Rattlers had beaten the Bayhawks, 12-8, in Annapolis on May 12, 2012.

“It was kind of a grind-it-out game because both teams are real solid defensively,” Cottle continued. “This game was very similar to our first meeting with Rochester. The difference is that this time we didn’t give up any transition goals and were able to get some ourselves.”

Chesapeake’s close defense of Michael Evans, Nicky Polanco and Barney Ehrmann put forth a suffocating effort. Long stick midfielder Dan Hostetler was all over the field disrupting as the Rattlers were limited to just 18 shots on goal.

“Our defense really came through as far as everyone winning their individual matchups. I also thought the defense did a great job of getting the ball off the ground in our end of the field and clearing it,” Cottle said.

Rochester (5-5), which had a three-game winning streak snapped and lost at home for the first time this season, was shut out in the first quarter and held to just two goals in the third and fourth periods.

“We aren’t able to do what we want to do on offense. They pressed out and made it very difficult for us to move the ball,” said Rochester attackman Kevin Leveille, who scored a team-high three goals.

Five different players scored goals as Chesapeake grabbed a 5-1 lead with just over nine minutes elapsed in the second quarter. Abbott had two goals and Kimmel had two assists as the Bayhawks took a 6-3 advantage into halftime.

Glading had a goal and an assist in the third quarter to give the visitors a comfortable 9-5 margin. Leveille and Roy Lang sandwiched unassisted goals around one by Westervelt as the Rattlers cut the deficit to 10-7 with just over eight minutes remaining in the game, but midfielder Kyle Dixon responded with a 2-point goal that pretty much put the game out of reach.

It was the 11th 2-pointer of the season for Dixon, the MLL all-time leader in that category. Midfielder Ben Rubeor then added an insurance goal for Chesapeake, extending his scoring streak 25 straight games with at least one point.

Goalkeeper John Galloway made 12 saves for Rochester, which got beaten 36-26 on ground balls. “I thought we did a much better job of getting the ball off the ground than we did last week in Charlotte and that was a big point of emphasis going into the game,” Cottle said.

Neither team committed a penalty in the game, a real rarity in Major League Lacrosse. Chesapeake continues its road warrior ways next Saturday at the Ohio Machine. The Bayhawks are now 4-1 on the road this season.

The Bayhawks return home on Saturday, August 4th to battle their long time rivals the Long Island Lizards. Papa John’s will be giving away thunder sticks at the gates. Tickets can be purchased online at www.thebayhawks.comor over the phone by calling the box office 866-99-HAWKS (42957). Reserve your seat today and see the Bayhawks battle at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium this summer.